NHTSA Complaint #10554007 — 2007 TOYOTA RAV4

MY SON WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK WHEN THE CAR STOPPED PERFORMING PROPERLY. SHAKING AND NO ACCELERATION. HE HAD TO REDUCE SPEED AND WAVE PEOPLE PAST HIM ON A 2-LANE ROAD. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE MECHANIC, THE NEXT DAY WITH THE SAME DIFFICULTY. DROVE WITH HAZARD LIGHTS ON. MY MECHANIC REPORTED THE CAR HAD LESS THAN 1 QUART OF OIL, AND THE ENGINE WAS BLOWN. I FELT THAT WAS NOT POSSIBLE. NEVER ANY OIL IN DRIVEWAY. OIL HAD BEEN CHANGED WITHIN LAST 4 MONTHS AND 4000 MILES. THE CAR HAS LESS THAN 63000 MILES AND HAS BEEN MAINTAINED. THE CHECK ENGINE OIL LIGHT NEVER CAME ON. IT MAKES NO SENSE. COST FOR NEW ENGINE IS $7,000. I DID SOME RESEARCH. GOOGLE "TOYOTA OIL CONSUMPTION ISSUE". NUMEROUS REPORTS OF THE EXACT SAME ISSUE. TOYOTA EVEN HAS A SERVICE BULLETIN T-SB-0094-11 THAT DESCRIBES THIS VERY ISSUE FOR THIS VERY MAKE AND VIN. ONLY IT ISN'T A RECALL, AND UNLESS YOU ARE A DEALER SERVICE CENTER YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE BULLETIN. SO UNFORTUNATELY, THE WAY TOYOTA IS HANDLING THIS, YOU LEARN ABOUT THIS ISSUE ONLY AFTER THE CAR GIVES OUT. THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS. MY 18 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER USED THIS VEHICLE TO DRIVE TO SCHOOL EVERY DAY! WITH MY 16 AND 13 YEAR OLD SONS AS PASSENGERS! IT IS PLAIN LUCK THAT THE CAR DIDN'T GIVE OUT WHILE SHE WAS DRIVING THEM ALL IN RUSH HOUR MORNING TRAFFIC. THIS ENGINE DEFECT IS ALL WELL DOCUMENTED. IT SEEMS LIKE TOYOTA IS DUCKING AND DODGING RESPONSIBILITY FOR A DEFECT THEY ACKNOWLEDGED IN THEIR VERY OWN SERVICE BULLETIN? HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE? *UPDATED 12/17/13